Why I Don't Smoke..

This is a written response sot Mr. Wayne McDonalds' article Why I Smoke. I found the article entertaining, though throughly misguided and amazingly misinformed. While Wayne possesses great satirical wit and is obviously good at coming up with arguments that seem good on the surface, none of these abilities lend an ounce of truth to his claims.

Before the smoking club goes all crazy and cites the crazy claim that there are no studies supporting the problems that smoking causes, please go here.

Okay. With that out the way, why would Mr. Wayne think to claim that there were no studies that talk about the results of smoking? And that of second-hand smoke? Because he knows that most people will not take the pains to type in a few words in a search engine and look through the results to find something.

So right there, you've more or less destroyed one major argument of Mr. Wayne - second hand smoke is bad for you, and I for one do not want young kids or myself around this smoke. By the way, if you didn't notice, the diseases caused by smoking were also just re-listed and it is now shown that smoking causes diseases in every organ of the body.

The next idea that Wayne gets, and is hailed by some of the smokers in the comments section is that of the bus exhaust. Well, this is just so plain off the base that I can't believe people think this will actually work! The bus is not smoking! It's not releasing tobacco based dangerous crap into the air for it's personal gratification! The nature of the two pollutants is very different, and so is the reason behind it. Arguments of this kind sound impressive, but really are absolutely stupid at the core. Let's see, I could argue that I should legally be able to murder people because, well, car accidents kill more people than any murderer. To keep up with the cars, I would have to shoot down vast neighborhoods every weekend. Let's see how many people cheer that one on! Besides, it'll be a much better and much less painless death and from lung cancer through smoking. Or maybe even bladder cancer. Don't tell me it doesn't happen. My grandmother got bladder cancer from second hand smoke.

Why do medical practitioners ask you if you smoke? Because they have a better idea of what to look for. They also have a good idea of what might be behind something. Let's say that I work in an asbestos mine and I go to the doctor complaining of severe coughing and chest pains. Of the series of questions that they ask me, one of the is about my occupation. Let's say I just write that I'm a miner. The doctor looks at the form and suddenly goes "What kind of mine do you work in? Asbestos?" Should I get mad over it? Should I tell that doctor that I don't intend on changing any behaviors and habits but expect to be treated? Of course not! So please don't come up with lame points that sound smart.

Another big one that Wayne messes up on is the total money that the smoking industry saves and generates. Um, Mr. Wayne, may I ask you how much money over all is wasted because of lost hours of work due to medical conditions caused by smoking. Did you think of that? Did you think about the social parasites that victims of lung cancer become, in your own opinion? Because you seem to believe that a person who has worked hard all their life and contributed for the betterment of the life of the next generation should be labeled a parasite because he/she can't work hard anymore due to the natural process of aging. What about the smokers who knowing the consequences of smoking continue to smoke out of choice to become parasites at 35 or 40?

Prohibition was a dismal failure, and always will be because of the stubborn and stupid human nature. I'm not putting the rest of the world down, I have the same nature, and I'm stubborn and stupid in my own ways. Just because something continues to happen doesn't make it right. There have been prohibitions on many drugs. It still happens, right? Because it's an addiction. The industry continues to grow because of the clear monetary gains that a few make, and the cravings that some other can satisfy. Same goes for smoking. Just because prohibition on smoking hasn't been effective yet doesn't imply that smoking is A-ok.